Welder&#39;s helmet



Aug. 17,1954 R. c. BURDICK WELQER'S HELMET Filed June 9, 1951 MMLN V -IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Envenfor (Ittomeg Patented Aug. 17, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a welders helmet construction. Helmets of the instant type are provided with a front frame-like fitting that has a fixed colorless window and a hinged colored window that is swingable between a position in front of the colorless window to a raised position. The present invention deals more particularly with means for swinging the colored window between the mentioned positions.

An object of the present invention is to provide novel and improved means, as indicated, that is operable by the welder by blowing and sucking, as the case may be, on the end of a tube, thereby leaving the hands free to carry out a weldin operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide such means that is carried by the helmet between and above the eyes of the welder so as to leave his view through the windows unobstructed.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a broken vertical sectional View of a welders helmet showing one form of windowmoving means according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary rear view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a modification.

Fig. 4 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary sectional view of detent means employed to hold the swinging window frame in the position to which the same has been moved.

Fig. 5 is a side View of a modified form of operating element.

The helmet that is illustrated is generally conventional. The same comprises a hood it carried by transverse trunnions H on a head-engaging frame l2, the hood being swingable on said trunnions from a position in front of the face to a position above the head. In the usual manner, frame it comprises a head-encircling sizeadjustable band i3 and a perpendicular positionlimiting band 54 afiixed to band 93. In practice,

hood It encompasses the front and sides of the face and head, being formed with a front wall I 5 from which extend lateral rearwardly directed Wings 56. It is these wings that connect to trunnions I l. In a position in line with the eyes, wall l5 is provided with a generally rectangular opening 11.

The helmet shown, as is typical for other hel mets of this type, is provided with a frame fitting l8 on the outer side of wall l5, the same being secured in place as by screws or the like l9. Said fitting has a frame 2E! that frames opening I7 and the same carries a, pane of clear fracture-resistant glass or the like 21 that serves as a protective window. Fitting E8, on an upper pivot pin 22, carries a swingable frame 23 that interfits with frame 20 and carries a heatand fracture-resistant pane 2 3 of colored glass or the like, the latter thereby-standing in front of pane 2 I.

To shield the eyes against the bright light of a welding are, frame 23 is left in the lowered position shown by the full lines of Fig. 1. When the welder requires better vision, he raises frame 23 and its colored pane 2 3. At times that he does not require the protection of the helmet, he swings the same upward on trunnions i l.

The present invention contemplates improved means 25 for swinging frame 23 up or down as desired without using the hands, since they may be occupied at the time that movement of said frame is desired.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the means 25 comprises a housing 26, a flexible diaphragm 2i affixed by its marginal edge to the housing and dividing said housing into a pressure chamber 28 and an atmospheric chamber 25, the latter being open at 3!} to atmosphere, a stem 3! guided by the housing and connected to the central part of the diaphragm, said stem being pivotally connected at 32 to the frame 23, a flexible tube 33 connected to housing 26 and more particularly to chamber 28, and a mouth-piece 34 on the end of said tube. Clips 35 may be provided to train tube 33 so that the window 26 is not obstructed thereby.

The housing 25 is preferably located, as shown, to have minimum obstruction to window 26. Accordingly, the same is preferably disposed on the helmet to be between the eyes and somewhat thereabove, substantially as shown. The depth or thickness of the housing assembly is kept within limits that will not interfere with the head or with head frame l2. Line 35 indicates the path of movement of the housing when the hood is swung upwardly, the same showing the desired clearance for all positions of the hood.

It will be clear that the mouth-piece 34 is held in the mouth by the wearer of the hood. When he blows into said mouth-piece, the stem 3| is projected and frame 23 is swung up on its pivot pin 22. When he sucks on the mouth-piece, evacuation of air from the tube and from chamber 28 allows atmosphere in chamber 29 to retract the stem and, thereby, pull frame 23 down.

In order to insure that frame 23 will remain up or down, as the case may be, a friction detent 31 (Fig. 4) may be provided between frames 20 and 23. Thus, the user is enabled to operate the swinging frame by means of a short pufi, to raise the frame, and a short intake of breath, to lower the frame. A relief groove 38 allows the detent to move freely between end positions to ease the operation.

Because of the mentioned size limit of the housing 26 and the need for translating substantially straight-line movement of stem 3| to armate movement of pivot 32, it is preferred to mount said housing to tilt or swing on a pivot 39, the same being parallel to pivot pin 22. Thus, as suggested by the dot-dash position of stem 3|, when projected, the housing has an angular or tilted position when the frame 23 is raised. Of course, by providing a. slotted connection between pivot 32 and frame 23, such tilting may be obviated but greater friction may result with loss of operating efficiency.

In the modification of Fig. 3, the housing 26 is replaced by a cylinder 40 and diaphragm 21 by a piston 4|. In other respects, this form follows the one above described and the same functions in substantially the same manner. It is clear, of course, that tube 33 connects to the cylinder at 42, the connection preferably being a radial one to clear the frame l2.

Although the invention has been described as embodying an air-operated device, any fluid may be employed to effect projection of stem 3| and, therefore, opening movement of frame 23. For example, mouth-piece 34 may be replaced by a bulb 45, as in Fig. 5, and compressed either in the mouth or by any portion of the body to displace a liquid in tube 33. Thus, it will be evident that frame 23 may be operated either by a gas or liquid, that is, it may be fluid-operated.

While the invention that has been illustrated and described is now regarded as the preferred embodiments, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

In a welders helmet, an opening for providing vision through said helmet, a window pivotally mounted by said helmet for swinging movement into upper and lower positions in front of said opening, fluid-actuated means pivotally mounted within said helmet and located at the center of the upper edge of said opening so as to be between and somewhat above the eyes of the wearer, a stem having a pivotal connection with said window located below the pivot line of said window and substantially at the vertical center line of said window, said stem being rigidly connected to said fluid-actuated means in order to move said window upon activation of said means, and a flexible tube adapted to supply fluid to said means to move the window about its pivot with resulting movement of said means about its pivot to permit said pivotal connection to move in an arc, the force of said means being exerted along the vertical center line of said window in order to eliminate undesirable torques on said window during movement by said fluid-activated means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,102,278 Lipp July 7, 1914 1,819,696 Daly Aug. 18, 1931 1,839,803 Norton Jan. 5, 1932 2,122,923 Yettner July 4, 1938 2,154,774 Reinaker et al Apr. 18, 1939 2,272,001 Goode Feb. 3, 1942 2,384,765 OReilly Sept. 11, 1945 

